Get Your Air Conditioner Ready for Summer

Get Your Air Conditioner Ready for Summer

Before you know it, Summer will be here in the Las Vegas valley. Anyone who lives in Vegas, knows what that means. Scorching hot days. Will your air conditioner be ready to meet the challenge?

After several months of a break, your AC unit probably needs a bit of attention. To make sure that your AC unit will be ready for the desert Summer, your best bet is to have a maintenance check.

If you think you’re up to the task of going it on your own, choose a day when the temperature is above 60 degrees. Then follow these steps:

– One: Go to the outdoor disconnect box and turn off the power to your AC condenser. To be safe, you might also want to do the same at your main service panel. Before doing anything else, give the capacitor’s electrical charge at least half an hour to dissipate.

– Two: Check out the filters in the air handler or furnace. If they’re covered in dust, you’ll need to clean or replace them. Clogged filters will restrict air flow and contaminate the air that does get through with fine particles of dust.

– Three: Clean the condenser fins on the outside of your unit to keep air flow efficient. These fine blades surrounding the condenser often clog with dirt, grass, dead leaves and similar debris. To reach them, remove the side panels and then the top, taking care not to dislodge any wires or accidentally bump the fins. Now, vacuum or gently brush the dirt from the coils, being careful not to bend them. If any do get crushed beyond what you can straighten yourself with a knife, it’s time to call in the professionals.

– Four: Clear out the condensate pan or drain to ensure that the unit can handle the moisture from humidity that your air conditioner removes.

– Five: Unscrew the fan to gain access to the unit’s interior, again watching out for the wires. If necessary, ask someone to hold it out of your way while you vacuum out accumulated dirt and other garbage.

– Six: Hose down the unit’s fins with a garden hose.

– Seven: Look for accessible lubrication ports on the motor as well as the compressor at the bottom of the unit. If possible, add five drops of electric motor oil to each. Be aware that on newer models, the bearings may be sealed or the compressor enclosed, making lubrication impossible.

– Eight: Inspect the ductwork to ensure that all connections and seals are tight and that nothing has clogged them on the inside. You also want to move anything inside the rooms that might be blocking the registers.

Finished? Great. Turn the power back on and give your air conditioning a test run. If you’ve done everything correctly, a blast of fresh, cool air should be your instant reward.

Don’t Want to Deal With the Headache?

Although it’s vital to perform this yearly air conditioning check, many people feel that it’s too much work, and let’s face it: It’s just not for everyone. If that’s you, there’s no need to worry. At Windy City Air Conditioning & Heating, we’ll do the dirty work for you. To our highly trained professionals in heating, ventilation and air conditioning, annual system maintenance is second nature.

During your air conditioning maintenance, we’ll:

Check the air filters and change them if necessary.

Clear away unwanted debris and clean the entire unit.

Visually inspect the ductwork for blockages or leaks and make repairs when needed.

Ensure that your refrigerant is at the proper levels.

Perform a diagnostic check of the entire system.

A yearly professional maintenance check allows you to deal with the little problems before they become too big to handle inexpensively. Best of all, the increased efficiency that results will lower your electric bills.

Annual air conditioning maintenance can be difficult and time-consuming. Why not save yourself the trouble? Call Windy City Air Conditioning & Heating today and have it done right from the start.